Snowshill Manor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snowshill Manor |
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Snowshill Manor from the front
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| Location | 52°00′10″N 1°51′38″W / 52.0029°N 1.8605°W |
| Built | Late 16th Century |
| Restored | 1919 |
| Restored by | Charles Wade |
| Owner | National Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Snowshill Manor | |
| Designated | 4 July 1960 |
| Reference no. | 1340081 |
| Official name: Snowshill Manor | |
| Designated | 28 February 1986 |
| Reference no. | 1000781 |
Snowshill Manor is a fascinating old house in the village of Snowshill, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. It's owned by the National Trust, a charity that looks after historic places. This amazing house was built in the 1500s. It's famous because of its owner in the 1900s, a very unique man named Charles Paget Wade. He loved collecting things and filled the house with an enormous collection of objects he found interesting. He gave the house and all his treasures to the National Trust in 1951, and you can still see his collection there today!
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Exploring Snowshill Manor
Snowshill Manor is a classic Cotswold house, built from local stone. The main part of the house dates back to the 1500s. It's considered a very important historic building, called a Grade II* listed building, since 1960. Other old parts of the property, like the brewhouse and dovecote, are also protected.
A Journey Through Time: The History of Snowshill Manor
The story of Snowshill Manor goes way back! In 821, a king named Coenwulf of Mercia gave Snowshill Manor to Winchcombe Abbey, which was a monastery. Later, in 1086, the village and Manor were written about in the Domesday Book, a huge survey ordered by William the Conqueror. It was listed as Snawesille, belonging to the Abbey of Saint Mary of Winchcombe.
The Manor stayed with the Abbey until 1539. This was when King Henry VIII closed down many monasteries in England, an event known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries. King Henry VIII took the Manor for himself. In 1543, he even gave it to his last queen, Catherine Parr, as part of her dowry.
The oldest parts of the Manor that we can still see today were built around 1550. These rooms are now known by the fun names Charles Paget Wade gave them, like Dragon and Music. Over the years, the house was made bigger. In the 1700s, an owner named William Sambach added more rooms and a new main entrance. After many different owners, the house was bought in 1919 by Charles Paget Wade.
Charles Wade was an architect, an artist-craftsman, a collector, and a poet. He came from a wealthy family. When he bought Snowshill Manor, he carefully fixed it up. But instead of living in the main house, he chose to live in a small cottage in the garden. He used the Manor house to store his incredible collection of objects. By the time he passed away, he had gathered over 22,000 items! In 1951, he gave the entire property and all its contents to the National Trust.
Charles Wade's Amazing Collections
The house is filled with thousands of unique objects, all collected by Charles Paget Wade. His motto was "Let nothing perish," meaning he wanted to save interesting things from being lost or thrown away. His collection is incredibly varied! You can find everything from old toys to real Samurai armour from Japan, and even musical instruments and clocks.
Wade spent from 1900 until 1951 collecting these items. He was especially interested in things that showed great craftsmanship. Some highlights of his collection include 26 suits of Japanese samurai armour from the 1600s and 1800s, old bicycles, and many other fascinating items. Seeing his collection is one of the main reasons people love to visit Snowshill Manor today.
The Priest's House
Charles Wade was quite an interesting person! He chose to live in a smaller building called the Priest's House, while the main Manor house was used to display his huge collection.
The Beautiful Gardens
The gardens at Snowshill were designed by Charles Wade himself, working with another architect named M. H. Baillie Scott. They created the gardens between 1920 and 1923. The design is very clever, making the garden feel like a series of outdoor rooms that extend from the house.
You'll find terraces and ponds, and the gardens really show how much Wade loved different colours and scents. Besides the pretty flower beds, the gardens also have an old dovecote (a building for pigeons), a tiny model village, a kitchen garden where food was grown, orchards, and small fields with sheep. It's a wonderful place to explore!
